Hisar: Excitement has reached its zenith for the 129th Shri Ram Navami Festival organized by the Shri Ramlila Committee, Katla. Consequently, on the seventh day of the *Shri Ram Katha* (the sacred narrative of Lord Rama)—currently underway at the Goyanka Sadan within Devi Bhawan under the aegis of the Katla Ramlila—a large number of devotees from various regions gathered to listen to the divine tale with utmost devotion. When *Katha Vyas* (Narrator) Bhavesh Krishna Bhardwaj—who has arrived from Shridham Vrindavan—introduced the audience to the character of Bharat during the *Shri Ram Katha*, the devotees present were overcome with emotion. Bhavesh Krishna Bhardwaj remarked that Bharat, by renouncing the desire for the kingdom and affirming his unwavering faith in his elder brother, Shri Ram, set an exemplary precedent of sacrifice, selfless love, and ideal fraternal affection. He emphasized that brothers should similarly interact with one another in a loving manner, thereby maintaining unity and harmony within the family.
On the seventh day of the *Shri Ram Katha*, the ceremonial worship (*Puja*) was conducted in accordance with traditional rituals by Rishiraj Budakiya, while Indrasen Bansal and Deepak Garg contributed to the arrangements for the *Prasad* (sacred food offering). Dignitaries present as guests during the seventh day's *Shri Ram Katha* included Dharampal Mittal, Satnarayan Teltia, Shiv Kumar Goyal, Anjani Kumar (Auto Market), Dayanand Singal, and Purushottam Tayal. On this occasion, a large number of dignitaries were present, including Arvind Gupta, Vinod Agarwal, Rajendra Bansal, Veer Bhan Bansal, Sajjan Gupta, Rajesh Sharma, Ravindra Goyal, Satish Bansal, Satnarayan Goyal, Kamal Kishore, Vinod Verma, Ramniwas Parsa, Pankaj Garg, Ashok Gupta, Janakraj Gupta, Rakesh Agarwal, Praveen Bansal, N.K. Goyal, Ashok Sharma, and Nand Kishore.
During the *Shri Ram Katha* (discourse on Lord Rama), the office bearers of the Shri Ramlila Committee, Katla—President Vinod Gupta, Secretary Lalit Goyal, Treasurer Ramesh Kumar Lohia, Vice President Anoop Bindal, and Joint Secretary Rajkumar Jain—were in attendance. Accompanying them, executive committee members Vinod Kansal, Rajesh Bansal, Radheshyam Agarwal, Dinesh Jain, Praveen Singhal, and Chandrabhan Soni were also notably present.
Vinod Gupta, President of the Shri Ramlila Committee, Katla, stated that all office bearers and volunteers are diligently engaged in preparations for the Ram Navami procession scheduled for March 27. He informed that on March 27, following a *Havan* (sacred fire ritual) at the Goyanka Sadan within Devi Bhawan, a grand Ram Navami procession will commence. Traversing through Hisar’s Mohana Mandi, Purani Mandi Road, Parijat Chowk, Lajpat Rai Chowk, Gurudwara Road, Tilak Bazar, Gulab Singh Chowk, Vakilan Bazar, Moti Bazar, Gandhi Chowk, Delhi Gate, Arya Bazar, Ram Chat Bhandar, Rajguru Market, and Hanuman Mandir, the procession will eventually return to Mohana Mandi. He added that the procession would feature various *tableaux* (decorative floats), and children would participate by dressing up as various deities.
Sharing various anecdotes during the *Shri Ram Katha*, the *Katha Vyas* (narrator), Bhavesh Krishna Bhardwaj, observed that many devotees often ask where they should look to find God. He remarked that if one looks with true faith, one realizes that there is no place where God is absent; He is omnipresent. He suggested that perhaps we fail to perceive Him because there is some deficiency—however slight—in our own steadfastness and reverence. He further noted that, in any case, God is something to be *experienced* rather than merely seen. Bhavesh Krishna Bhardwaj explained that after listening to a *Katha* or *Kirtan* (devotional singing), many devotees exclaim, "I felt a sense of pure bliss!" He pointed out that such bliss cannot be physically displayed or shown to others; it can only be experienced within oneself. In this very manner, if worship is performed with a sincere heart, one may even attain a realization of the Divine.